New Apple TV vs PS4: 5 Things You Need to Know

The new Apple TV is available to purchase and will be arriving on buyers’ doorsteps starting tomorrow, and if you’re thinking about buying a new toy for the living room, here’s what you need to know about the new Apple TV vs PS4.

The PS4 might be considered a gaming console above all else, but it can do a lot more than that. The PS4 also acts as a streaming set-top box of sorts, allowing users to watch Netflix, Hulu, etc., as well as live sports with a handful of live sports streaming apps.

The new Apple TV also does gaming, though, turning it into a casual gaming console of sorts that can sort of compete with the PS4. If anything, the new Apple TV is a lot like the Nintendo Wii, where the graphics and game selection may only be decent, but it can provide fun for the whole family pretty easily.

Essentially, the Apple TV is closer to being more like the PS4 than ever before, so how do these two living room devices compare? Of course, the PS4 can be seen as the better gaming console, and the Apple TV being the better streaming device, but how much do these two boxes relate to each other and what are some of the similarities and differences?

Here are five things you need to know about the new Apple TV vs PS4.

Gaming

The Apple TV is dabbling with gaming for the first time, with a handful of games that will be available at launch. Plus, you can even get a game controller for the new Apple TV if you don’t feel like using the included remote, although some games take advantage of the motion sensors inside of the Apple TV remote.

There will be some pretty decent games coming to the new Apple TV, including Guitar Hero Live, Galaxy On Fire: Manitcore Rising, Disney Infinity 3.0, Crossy Road, Rayman Adventures, Shadowmatic, and Transistor. Many of these games look like they’ll be a lot of fun.

However, the PS4 has the better game selection by far, especially when it comes to AAA titles like Call of Duty, Madden, etc. Hardcore gamers will most definitely have a better experience on the PS4.

Not everyone should discount the gaming capabilities of the new Apple TV, though. It looks to be a great option for those that aren’t hardcore gamers, as well as whole families that want to get in on game night, but we’ll have to see just how serious Apple is about living room gaming.

Streaming Apps & Services

One thing that the new Apple TV and the PS4 have in common the most is the selection of various streaming apps and services, like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, etc.

However, the new Apple TV could trump the PS4 once more and more apps are released for Apple’s set-top box. The Apple TV now comes with a native App Store that allows users to download apps and games straight to the device, whereas past models only allowed a handful of streaming apps to be on the box.

The PS4 has a large selection of apps as well, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Apple TV tower over the PS4 when it comes to app selection.

Controllers

The new Apple TV uses the included remote as a default gaming controller. Users simply just turn the remote sideways when it comes time to playing games, or they use as a regular remote when playing a game that uses the remote’s motion sensors

Of course, the PS4 comes with the DualShock 4 controller, which is definitely the best controller that Sony has ever made, and just like with the Apple TV remote and game controller, it uses Bluetooth to connect to the PS4 console.

Unfortunately, you can’t connect a PS4 controller to the Apple TV, but we’re guessing we’ll some hacks in the future that will allow users to do this. It’ll only be a matter of time.

User Interface & Other Features

One big feature that users look over when deciding on which set-top box or gaming console to buy is how the user interface works and if it’s right for them.

The Apple TV’s user interface received a minor facelift with the new model, but it remains largely the same as it always has as far as layout is concerned, so most Apple TV users will know how to navigate the new model with ease.

The PS4’s user interface isn’t too bad either, although some users may argue that it’s a bit wonky to get around to certain features. For instance many apps are in groups, so you would first have to scroll to the TV section and then select a streaming app from there.

It is a bit confusing, seeing how games show up right away, but apps you have to dig a bit to find them.

Furthermore, the PS4 doesn’t have AirPlay, which is one of the big benefits of the Apple TV if you use AirPlay a lot, which allows you to beam content from an Apple device to your television using the Apple TV as the middle man that makes it happen.

Price

Perhaps the biggest deciding factor when it comes to the Apple TV and the PS4 is the price. There’s a big difference in price between these two living room devices, and that could be the ultimate deciding factor for you.

The new Apple TV starts at $149 for the 32GB model and goes up to $199 for the 64GB version. The PS4, on the other hand, is $399, which is a whole $250 more expensive than the Apple TV.

That’s for good reason, though, the PS4 has better internal components to handle all of those graphic-intensive games, and it also comes with 500GB of storage, which is way more than Apple’s 64GB of storage in the Apple TV.

The PS4 can still make for a decent set-top box of sorts, but it’ll probably be on of the most expensive set-top boxes you purchase.

2 Comments

wantsitall

11/22/2015 at 8:56 am

Interesting comparison that reminds me that there is still yet to be marketed on thing that does it all. The ps4 is superior for games, has game capture and sharing options,and a few appa. The Apple has thousands of apps and airplay which is really big and provides access to a browser.

What i want is the ps4 the way it is with a set top box next to it doing everything else. A set top box using apple or android that has all of the functions of a tablet with internal storage with usb ports for external hdd, and anything else with media to be read like thumb drives, digital cameras,ect. A set top box that has a good web browser, a ton of apps, and that i can use a ps3 or ps4 controller to use it. On screen keyboard and the game controller is great for the living room.

Sony’s PS 3 and 4 still don’t even offer 5Ghz WiFi. That in itself says a lot! I have both and seem to find that my kids spend more time playing on the PS3 than the PS4

The new Apple TV4 remote is its own worst enemy. Bump the touch pad and watch your movie pause ot jump ahead. Drop the remote from the sofa and watch the movie jump ahead. Best thing about Apple TV4 and PlayStation3 and4 is they now offer Plex. At last I can delete that horrific app called iTunes.